Alessandro Juliani Movies
- 2000
Vogelsang (Stephen Lee) unearths information enabling Max (Jessica Alba) to reach out to her Manticore siblings -- but for a hefty price. At the same time, Logan (Michael Weatherly) is visited by his alcoholic ex-wife, Valerie (Brenda James), who insists that she has cleaned up her act and wants to come back into his life. Jealousy, betrayal, and a hidden wire figure prominently in the climax of this episode, which also introduces William Gregory Lee in the role of Zack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Alina (Lisa Rodriguez), daughter of Logan's former journalistic mentor Nathan Herrero (Tony Perez), begs Logan (Michael Weatherly) to help her find her missing dad. Meanwhile, Max (Jessica Alba) and Original Cindy (Valarie Rae Miller) try to get Sketchy (Richard Gunn) out of an expensive jam caused by duplicitous casino owner Rafe (Michael Sunczyk). Both plot lines converge in a climax festooned with double-crosses and lies...and as a bonus, the episode's titular initials are at last explained (and a bitter, cynical explanation it is indeed). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Two alien civiilzations, the Enkarans and the Gadmeer, battle over the colonization of the same planet. As often happens on Stargate SG-1, O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) and his SG-1 team are caught in the middle of this titanic offworld struggle. In additon to the usual perils, O'Neill's team is faced with the realization that the victory of the Enkarans will bring about the inevitable destruction of the Gadmeer--and vice versa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Dark Angel begins its two-season run with a feature-length episode establishing both characters and premise. Back in the year 2009, young Max Guevara (Geneva Locke) escaped from Manticore, a sinister laboratory creating human prototypes with heavy doses of animal DNA. A lab creation herself, Max managed to get away with several of her "siblings" from Manticore's X-5 program. Now it is 2019: The world is in turmoil in the wake of "The Pulse," a seismic phenomenon which destroyed all computer technology. The 19-year-old Max (Jessica Alba) lives in a crime-ridden ghetto with a group of alienated teens and dopers, working as a bicycle messenger by day and a cat burglar by night. (And why not? Max's cat DNA has endowed her with superhuman strength and agility.) She pulls this "double shift" in order to finance an ongoing search for the secrets of her past, and for her genetically engineered brothers and sisters. Enter scruffy cyberjournalist Logan Cale (Michael Weatherly), a crusader against the corruption that has engulfed the government and its police. Persuading Max to join his cause, Logan gives her her first assignment: to guard a federal witness and her daughter. But Max may not be around to help -- not if she is tracked down and captured by Manticore minion Donald Lydecker (John Savage), the obsessed scientist who "created" her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Max (Jessica Alba) is being hunted down by her Manticore-generated clone, a character introduced at the end of Dark Angel's first season. Not surprisingly, this puts an added strain on the already shaky relationship between Max and Logan (Michael Weatherly). Elsewhere, Logan's effort to convince the public that the transgens are not wholly evil results in violence; and the fervently anti-transgen White (Martin Cummins) enters into a dark conspiracy with the "crusading" Senator McKinley (Paul Perri). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of the most popular television series of the late '70s science fiction boom gets a new look for the new millennium in remake, created as a made-for-cable miniseries. Four decades after the Cylon Wars, the Cylon robots (some of whom have since assumed human form) have launched a vicious nuclear attack, leaving only a few Colonial forces to lead the survivors to safety. Led by starship commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and politician and possible presidential successor Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the crew of the Battlestar Galactica searches the galaxy for the mythic 13th Colony of Kobol (otherwise known as Earth), their destination and only hope for survival. Battlestar Galactica: The Miniseries also stars Jamie Bamber, James Callis, and Grace Park. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos
Originally titled American Meltdown, this speculative made-for-cable melodrama begins as a group of six terrorists, bearing names like Khalid, Shafig, and Ziad, take over a nuclear power plant in San Juan. It turns out that the terrorists' actions are merely symbolic, and that no real harm is intended -- but things get tragically out of control, and soon the military and the government are in full spin mode to gloss over and wash their hands of a deadly nuclear meltdown that threatens to destroy everything within driving distance of the plant. In a virtual reprise of his characterization in the TV series 24, Arnold Vosloo portrays the head of the terrorists, who are more "home grown" than anyone is willing to admit. The film is shot in a punchy, fast-cut, hand-held "breaking news" style, alternating dizzily between color and black-and-white to give it a documentary feel. Meltdown was presented by the FX cable channel on June 6, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Greenwood, Leslie Hope, (more)
- 2004
- Add Battlestar Galactica: Season 01 to QueueAdd Battlestar Galactica: Season 01 to top of Queue
David Eick and Ronald D. Moore's dark reinvention of the cult sci-fi series picks up where the 2003 miniseries left off. An old battleship named Galactica leads a fleet of survivors away from their planets, which were decimated by a nuclear attack perpetrated by a race of machines known as Cylons. Galactica's senior officer, Cdr. William Adama (Edward James Olmos), and the newly sworn-in leader of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), discover how relentless the Cylons can be when they briefly manage to track, harass and nearly exhaust the fleet. Worse, the Cylons have created copies of machines that appear human, some of which have infiltrated the fleet as unwary sleeper agents. Lt. Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park) learns she is a Cylon after she sabotages Galactica's water supply. And another copy of Boomer uses Lt. Karl "Helo" Agathon (Tahmoh Penikett) as a guinea pig in an experiment the Cylons are conducting on the devastated Colonial world Caprica. A suicide bombing on Galactica forces the Colonial leadership to publicly divulge the existence of humanoid Cylons and the likelihood that some are operating within the fleet, fostering feelings of paranoia in an already stressed and depressed populace. Adama and Roslin are tasked with forging a new government and replenishing their supplies of water, fuel and fighter pilots, while they also try to keep hope alive during their search for the fabled lost colony Earth. Meanwhile, Dr. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) must cope with his role in the near annihilation of his people, his place in the new space-faring community, and the intrusions of an incorporeal entity-that only he can see-which has taken the form of the sixth humanoid Cylon model (Tricia Helfer) to guide the troubled genius. ~ Michael Chant, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, (more)
- 2005
A woman devoted to the life of the mind meets an artist who changes the way she looks at life in this offbeat independent musical drama. Lynn Magnusson (Jane Perry) is a dedicated research scientist who works with a small firm attempting to develop new cancer treatments through genetics. Lynn and her staff are attempting to crack the DNA code that makes certain people more likely to contract certain diseases, a matter that's of both professional and personal importance to her -- her mother is slowly wasting away because of Huntington's disease, and Lynn is likely to suffer the same fate, as would her offspring. Lynn has other distractions at work, most notably Benny (Jonathon Young), one of her assistants, with whom she has been having an affair. As Lynn struggles to make sense of her work and her love life, she becomes aware of her upstairs neighbor (Kevin McNulty), a composer who is as free and open to the joys of life as she's tightly wound and uncertain. As the two get to know one another, the story makes room for several musical numbers in which the characters share their feelings in song and dance. The Score was the first feature film from director Kim Collier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Perry, Jonathon Young, (more)
- 2006
- Add Battlestar Galactica: Season 03 to QueueAdd Battlestar Galactica: Season 03 to top of Queue
The space opera's third season picks up a short time after the Colonial fleet was forced to abandon the bulk of humanity on the harsh but habitable New Caprica as the Cylons descended upon the defenseless settlement. While the commanders of Galactica and Pegasus, Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Cdr. Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), clash over the admiral's plan to rescue those left behind, resistance guerrillas led by Col. Saul Tigh (Michael Hogan) use suicide bombers to strike back at the Cylon occupiers on New Caprica. The occupation produces heroes, traitors and hostages-the last best personified by Capt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff), who becomes a Cylon's love interest. Captive Cylon Sharon (Grace Park) redeems herself when she agrees to help Adm. Adama rescue the citizens of New Caprica. While the rescue operation unfolds, defrocked president Gaius Baltar (James Callis) locates Sharon's Cylon-human baby and accepts an invitation from D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) to join the Cylons. The large-scale rescue proves successful, but the occupation leaves emotional scars on the survivors, particularly Starbuck and Tigh, who stir up dissent within the ranks. Adm. Adama endeavors to heal his crew with a boxing event that ends up being cathartic for Starbuck and Apollo. While trying to prove his worth to the Cylons, Baltar helps D'Anna probe the mythical "final five" humanoid Cylons-who have become lost to the rest of their race-an investigation that doesn't sit well with the Cylon Cavil (Dean Stockwell). A food shortage forces the Colonial fleet to traverse a dangerous passage to an algae planet, home to a mysterious temple that houses a veritable road map to Earth, which the Cylons also covet. The tragic loss of a troubled crewmate and a sensational trial onboard Galactica become game-changing milestones during the fleet's quest for Earth. ~ Michael Chant, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, (more)
After living his life with clockwork precision, a man throws any and all caution to the wind in this freewheeling comedy-drama. Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds) is a successful motivational speaker and author whose book "The Five-Minute Efficiency Trainer" advises readers that strict organization and avoiding impulsive behavior is the key to success. Frank is married to Susan (Emily Mortimer), who has been his sweetheart since college, but while he's happy, she's beginning to have second thoughts -- she chose to be with Frank rather than his best friend Buddy (Stuart Townsend) because of his sweet and gentle nature, but his new habit of carefully budgeting every moment of the day has squeezed most of the fun out of their lives. After a quarrel with Susan leaves Frank in a troubled state of mind, he's enthusiastically propositioned by a sexy woman at a self-help seminar (Sarah Chalke), and has to take a pregnant woman (Jocelyne Loewen) to the hospital when he nearly runs her over on the street. Susan learns about Frank's day and comes to the mistaken conclusion that he's been unfaithful to her with both women. Susan leaves him and Frank decides that his hyper-organized life is to blame for the collapse of his marriage. Suddenly, Frank figures its time to give his id full reign -- he buys a motorcycle, starts fist fights in bars, sleeps with strange women, takes up streaking, and does nearly everything the old Frank would warn him against. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, (more)
Adapted from author Philip Roth's novel The Dying Animal, director Isabel Coixet's elegant tale of obsession explores the relationship between a highly respected professor (Ben Kingsley) and an impossibly gorgeous grad student (Penélope Cruz). As their relationship deepens, the professor finds his ego challenged by the girl's enchanting beauty. Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, (more)
- 2009
- PG13
- Add Love Happens to Queue
The directorial debut of Brandon Camp concerns a widower (Aaron Eckhart) who makes a living as an expert on grieving. During the course of teaching a seminar, he falls in love with one of his students (Jennifer Aniston), a discovery that leads him to face up to the fact he has not fully reconciled the loss of his wife. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
